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Matt Zingler knows a lot about curating outstanding festival experiences and encouraging creativity in others. We let him talk about himself:
Inked: People know your work as a co-founder of Rolling Loud, but you probably don’t know much about your strong ties to the tattoo community. How did you get into this world?
Matt Jingler: I got my first tattoo when I was 15. In the garage with one of his friends, his father’s Playboy got a tattoo in his magazine. And it was a barcode. We could only draw straight lines, so we drew barcodes on each other.
How straight were those lines?
It just looks like a barcode [laughs]The reason I fell in love with tattoos is because I love the way they look. I thought it represented a rebellious and independent style. Not many people get tattoos at that age, but I had a lot before I turned 18.
how did it go at home?
It was okay. That was unacceptable, but you do what you want.
Wasn’t that a big deal?
That was a big deal. But who gives a shit? At that age, you’re doing what you want and if they don’t like it, well, that’s too bad, but don’t talk to me.
Did you get the tattoo right after your first tattoo?
I used to draw and paint a lot in the past, so I really got into tattoos. I used to give people my artwork for holidays and birthdays. And people stopped wanting my art, so I thought if I started getting people tattooed, they wouldn’t be able to give it back. [laughs].
With everything you’re involved with, do you still have the chance to get a tattoo?
I don’t get many tattoos anymore. I rarely get tattoos for my friends. I never charged for a tattoo. You’ve probably had at least 200-300 tattoos. It’s usually a friend of mine or someone I have a fun little deal with. was It’s not a very hygienic place, but it was before we had a store.
If you don’t get many tattoos, what made you want to start a tattoo shop?
I collect old cars, Bally’s pinball machines, and old arcade games, but my wife doesn’t like it at home. So I started a tattoo her parlor. In fact, they skipped the artist to tattoo me personally and put all my cool stuff around me while I got the tattoo. Then my partner Panda was doing tattoos full time as a studio and he was like, ‘I really want to wrap this up and make it a big business. I started the shop with such a feeling.
Do you see an analogy between how you staff a tattoo shop full of different artists and how you curate a lineup for a music festival like Rolling Loud?
A little different from Rolling Loud, we select artists who can express their brand. There I reserve who is relevant and what fans want to see, but that’s not my opinion. You can be more biased about the quality of work and art you allow in your shop. But the great thing about this shop is that it’s connected to a private music studio. Many artists who perform at Rolling Loud use the studio, close it at night, get tattoos in the store, or use his studio for music to create something that is not really very unique. create an experience. Achievable anywhere.
A lot of what you do seems to nurture the creativity of others.
I have always been very appreciative of people’s dealings and would love to do it if I could reveal it. But most importantly, serving my friends and people in the industry I love it. That’s what really drives me. If you can provide a unique workspace for great tattoos and music, it’s just relationship and building, right? Being able to provide quality service strengthens your brand as an individual. I love amplifying people and I love using my platform to promote positivity.
Is there a deeper reason why we try to take such a positive view?
When I started Rolling Loud, nobody believed me, nobody believed what I was doing. They thought it wouldn’t work. When I proved everyone wrong and established myself in the music space, along with other spaces in the arts and entertainment sectors, I really embraced the idea of ​​’what we believe, we become’. I preach. I always said Rolling Loud was the biggest hip-hop festival in the world. That’s what I want my platform to show. If I can do it, so can you.
One of the remarkable things about Rolling Loud is that it’s something that’s on people’s minds year-round, rather than the usual music festival that people think of during the three days it’s happening.
Rolling Loud has always been meant to be a lifestyle brand, albeit a festival. Active throughout the year in all categories of all kinds, including Rolling Loud Records, Film Production, Liquor, Merchandising and Endorsement Partnerships. We are also involved in philanthropic activities and are active in the communities in which we operate. We want as many people as possible to be exposed to this brand.
One thing too many festivals do is treat nostalgic books almost exclusively. Sure, they’ll be rising openers, but the headliners will be established artists who may not have released anything relevant in over a decade. I don’t. How do you know what’s going on?
The great thing about Rolling Loud is that they participate in a specific genre of music: hip-hop festivals. So you really just need to focus on one genre. We have a great team here at Rolling Loud, everyone has an opinion and everyone listens. We really understand our fans, as do our fans. It’s part of Rolling Loud’s art when building a lineup. It’s about curating something special that can only be seen at his three-day event. We take pride in trying new things and being different, but we also take pride in making it as relevant as possible. So we’re always watching and studying who’s putting out what albums, what music is being released, when schedules start and how artists are performing in a particular market. increase. New York may be bigger than LA, so I’m cautious about connecting artists by market. We want to offer a unique experience in these markets so that the market is always differentiated.
Given the number of artists attending each Rolling Loud festival, is it important to keep prices relatively low?
I think it’s very important. I think the main problem we face now is inflation and just costs, right? Everything is expensive now. We pride ourselves on providing fans with a unique experience that would be at least four or five times the price of seeing all of these artists individually. We always want to keep costs down and offer something unique to our fans. If you want a step-up experience, GA Plus and VIP are here for fans who want to spend more money. We want to offer our fans low-cost tickets, but we also try to take location into consideration so that our fans don’t have to travel. I am proud to be in a big city where I can.
Imagine a 17-year-old hip-hop fan going Rolling Loud for the first time. What do you want them to gain from this experience?
I don’t think you should get anything special out of attending festivals, but festivals give you the chance to meet like-minded people who enjoy the music you love. In today’s world, especially during adolescence, it is very difficult to meet new friends. Or if you’re in high school or college, everything is very segregated. Away from the rolling louds, with great friends, you can not only see the music, but have a great experience yourself. We spend a lot of time developing experiences on physical sites, including carnival rides, activations, graffiti parks, tattoo parlors, and glamorous beauty bars. There are so many unique things you can do with Rolling Loud. What you get out of it is being there and being part of a great movement while seeing artists you may never see again.
Rolling Loud has spread all over the world in the last few years. Recently, they announced a festival in Thailand. With that in mind, where do you see your brand 10 years from now?
Rolling Loud is my Disney world of hip-hop. We will see Rolling Loud everywhere in the future. Hotels, merchandising, department stores, cannabis, music, movies, and more use IP. Some include lifestyle and music, some don’t. It’s really something you can think of. I think this brand can be activated in all parts of the world with all kinds of products. We are very excited to show you what we have.
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